Title: The Road not Taken 1/?
Author: Kate R.
Rating: PG-13 to R at least
Pairings: Giles/Ethan, Willow/Xander, Angel/Wesley, Cordelia/Spike (The First Two chapters are Pre Sunnydale. Please forgive but I have to set the story up so everyone understands what the hell is going on. There will be Buffy Bashing Galore as soon as I get them to Sunnydale, I swear)
Summary: What if everyone had made different choices. From the Council to Buffy herself? (Warning, not for Buff lovers)
Disclaimer: Own nothing and no one used herein. Not the Poem or the song
Ripper paced on the street corner waiting. Where the hell was he? How in the hell was he supposed to help this Kid if he couldn't find him? He looked up suddenly and his breath caught in his throat. There he was. The boy from his dream. Not really a boy but younger than Ripper himself was. A very thin waif but Rupert 'Ripper' Giles could see the boy's beauty and it called out to him. Ripper watched as a burly boy came over and cuffed the waif hard on the side of the head. Why? All he was doing was looking in a toy store window. What could possibly be wrong with that? Ripper was about 17. The boy looked maybe 16 or the old side of 15. Ripper watched as the bigger one dragged the Waif and he began to follow. He followed them to a house where there was a reek of powerful, dark magic. Ripper staggered under it but did not give in to the feelings. He walked to the window and looked in. What he saw froze him to the marrow. He Waif was laid out on the floor with symbols being drawn on his too-thin body. The bigger one was the one painting them. Black candles surrounded the pentacle and the Waif looked terrified but also resigned. As if this was his normal lot in life. Ripper could only stare in horror as the bigger one---One of the bigger ones, began to chant and suddenly, there was a presence and Ripper could only stare in shock. Ehygon. The Sleepwalker. What were they going to do with---No! Not the Waif. It wasn't right and he didn't want it. Ripper watched as Ehygon possessed each one of them in turn and they all used The Waif. He saw blood and he saw tears that the Waif was trying to hide and he felt his gorge rise.
"I'll save you, luv," he whispered. "I swear I will." He stayed and watched until they finished and then he went back to the room he had rented and called his father.
"I found him," he said into the phone. "The ones who have him are feeding him to the Sleepwalker. Not really seein' a way in 'cept to take the gang. Don't wanna conjure that thing but I think if I can get the kid, you can shut 'em down. Da', I want the kid. He's mine. No, He's just MINE. His Power could help if we teach him to use it. I know but this one is special. He's that feeling for me that you said you 'ad wit' mum. Yeah---Thought that would get your attention. Thanks Da'--- I know. Thanks for lettin' me do this. Yeah, I know I'm good at it. I know. Thanks for understandin'. Tell Uncle Quentin I found the man from the prophecy but we got to save him or he'll be twisted. Yeah, I'm sure. He has the ringed eyes. Thanks Da'. Be ready. You'll know when. Yeah. Thanks. Love you too Da'. Bye."
He hung the phone up and took his guitar out playing away his thoughts until it was just the melody. The melody allowed him the visions and he looked specifically for The Waif. He found him in the corner of a room in the house under a ratty blanket being---damn! That Sonuvabitch was going down. No one raped his Waif. Hadn't they used him enough that day? Ripper calmed himself and pulled back from the vision. Then he began to plan. Step one was getting into the gang.
Three weeks later and objective one was complete. Randall was taking him to meet the gang. Randall was the big one that had hit the Waif. Ripper was still angry with that. They entered the house and Ripper's natural shields automatically came up.
"Guys," Randall called. "This is Ripper. Ripper's got real power. Bring rat out. He has to greet Ripper."
The other big male dragged The Waif out of the room and ripper watched as the Waif knelt between his legs and reached for his zipper.
"No," Ripper said. "I want him to sleep with me. Then I'll decide if I want oral sex."
"Fine," Randall said. There's a room upstairs with a door so you can have privacy. Go on, Rat. Show him."
The Waif led Ripper up to a room on the third floor and shut the door. He stripped down to nothing and laid on his stomach waiting. Ripper gently touched his shoulder.
"I said sleep, Waif. Not sex," Ripper said as he lay down next to the boy still fully dressed. "You can put your clothes back on and just lie here with me. Alrigh'?"
Ripper watched as Ethan debated and slowly pulled his cloths back on and then lay down next to Ripper. Burying his head on the shoulder Ripper gave him, he found himself feeling safe and content.
"You got a name, Waif?" Ripper asked. The Waif looked up at him from his strange eyes and swallowed a few times before he answered in a soft voice.
"Ethan," he whispered. Ripper nodded and pulled Ethan against his side.
"Well, Ethan," he said. "I'm Rupert. I want you to just rest here, kay? I ain't gonna hurt you or nuthin' I just hate sleeping alone."
Ethan nodded and let himself drift off. For some reason he felt safe in Ripper's arms. He dreamed happy things while he slept and Ripper carefully erected powerful shields on his Waif, his Ethan's mind and magic. The next person who tried to steal this one's power was gonna have a nasty shock.
Two Months later, Randall finally figured out Ripper was doing something to prevent them touching Ethan's power or feeding him to Ehygon.
"He's ours, Ripper," Randall snarled. "Give it up or you die."
The next minute, Randall found himself hurled into a wall. He looked and saw Ethan standing in the center of a ring of pure, white energy floating above the floor and glowing white with power.
"You wont hurt him," Ethan said in his still soft voice. I don't belong to you. I belong to him. Ripper. Not you or your demon master."
Randall hung against the wall in shock and just laid on the floor when Ethan released him. The others were too scared to move. Ripper made it over to him and they both left the house just as Ripper's father appeared with his squad. They were hustled into a car and Ripper's father joined them. The house would be destroyed. Randall, Philip, Deirdre and Thomas would all be executed. Ethan lay against Ripper suddenly very tired. He wanted to sleep now. Ripper chuckled and held him as he let his head rest on Ripper's shoulder. Ripper knew Ethan had made a choice to save him. He wondered, as his father did what the choice was, and he knew it was a choice that had tied him to Ethan forever, regardless of what it was. He suspected they would find out what it was soon.